The Dark-Hunters (782 page)

He should be furious over that. Yet he wasn’t. He felt strangely grateful. “Are you really that bored?”

“No. I just needed to make sure you were all right. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Those words and the faked sincerity in her voice struck him like a blow. No one had ever said a kinder thing to him. Not in all of his life.

But he knew better. “You don’t care about me. Be honest. We’re enemies, you and I.”

“I’m not your enemy, Seth. I don’t like being your captive, and I have to say that I’m still a little peeved over that fact. But I understand why you did what you did. And it means a lot to me that you’re protecting me when you have no reason to.”

A bad feeling went through him over those words.
Why the hell did I put them together?

“How much has Jaden told you about me?”

“Probably enough that you’ll beat him for it. But I’m glad he did.”

Seth let out a disgusted breath. He couldn’t stand for anyone to talk about him. Ever. It never boded well for his health. Physical or mental.

Not wanting to think about it, he turned the topic. “You should probably rest.”

“Not until you do.”

Her comforting voice took him back in time. Back to when he’d lived with the jackals and had had a friend. When he’d been able to trust the lies other people told him.

What he wouldn’t give to be that naive again.

Don’t trust her. She’s using you to get free. If she weakens you, she knows you’ll do something stupid for her.

All people were liars. He knew that with every part of himself.

And yet …

Seth wanted to believe in something again. He wanted to believe in someone.

Most of all, he
needed
to believe in Lydia.

“Tell me about your family, Lydia. What are they like?”

“They were wonderful.”

“Were?”

“My mother died protecting me when I was a child.”

He should have been so lucky. But he felt bad for her when it was obvious she’d loved her mother. “What happened?”

“Zeus had us attacked. Everyone was slaughtered. But my mother used her powers to send me away before they found me. She tried to send me to my father, but they killed her before she could get me all the way there.”

“And your father?”
Please tell me he was better than mine.

“He’s wonderful … Most times. He can be very stern and demanding. But he does it out of love for me.”

Good. One less being he wanted to mutilate.

Then he started to ask her about Solin, but stopped himself. There were some things he didn’t need to know and that was one of them. It was actually at the top of his list. He didn’t want to hear the love in her voice when she talked about another man when that man possessed the one thing Seth would sell his soul for.

It was cruel.

But she continued talking to him in that soothing voice of hers. “The hardest part was that I couldn’t really see my father growing up.”

“Why?”

“He has too many enemies who would kill me if they found me. So I’ve had to move around a lot. Never making too many friends for fear of them betraying me, whether by accident or intentionally.”

“Like me.”

“In some ways. It’s why I understand you, I think.”

Interesting thought, that. He didn’t understand himself most days, so how could she?

“Tell me more about your mother. What’s your fondest memory of her?”

“She would read to me every night and then sing me a silly song to go to sleep to. After she’d leave, many times I’d get up and try to sneak out to play with my toys.”

“Did she spank you for it?”

“No. My parents never hit me. She’d tickle me back to bed and threaten to take away my dessert for a week. But she never did that either.”

Seth felt the beginnings of a smile, but the moment he did, he felt an evil presence coming at him.

Out of nowhere, a reaper attacked. They were taloned and winged demons who would rip apart any creature they found. Lucky him, that he’d been here for their pleasure.

Seth cursed as it sank its claws into his shoulder.
That’s what I get for not paying attention.
He should never have been talking to her.

“Seth?” The panic in her voice meant a lot to him, but he didn’t have time to chat right now.

“I’m under attack, Lydia. I have to go.”

“Seth!”

He ignored her as more reapers came for him and he fought them back as best he could.

But they weren’t the only ones rushing him …

Oh yeah, this was going to really suck.

*   *   *

Lydia looked over to where Jaden sat on the stone floor, leaning against the wall by his fire. “He’s under attack. Are you sure we can’t help him?”

Jaden sent her a mocking stare. “Sure. Let’s go get him pinned to Noir’s wall for a week, shall we? I’m quite certain it would thrill him to no end, and make us all feel better that you care so much.”

“You don’t have to be so sarcastic.”

“Can’t help it. I sucked sarcasm straight from my mother’s breast.”

She ignored his even more sardonic reply. “Is there nothing we can do for him?”

“We’re doing it.”

Lydia hated what they were doing. It wasn’t in her to sit and not fight.

Getting up, she started pacing—something she did until she was too tired to keep going. Only then did she sleep. But her dreams, probably restored by Jaden, too, tortured her with the things she’d learned about Seth.

Most of all, they tortured her with thoughts of him standing guard alone and fighting against the monsters Jaden had described.

Please be okay. Please.

She woke up well past dawn, or at least what passed for dawn in this dismal realm. “Seth?” she tried again to contact him.

He didn’t answer.

She looked to where Jaden slept by the fire.
I have to find him.
He was in trouble, she could feel it.

The only problem was she didn’t know where he was or how to get there.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion out in the hallway. She went to the door and pressed her ear against it so that she might hear what was going on.

Rumbling voices thundered, but she couldn’t make out their individual words.

Not until one spoke with a clarity that made her sick.

“Huzzah! The Guardian is dead!”

CHAPTER 13

Terrified, Lydia started to open the door to tear this place down until she found Seth, but Jaden grabbed her just before she committed suicide.

“Don’t be stupid,” he snarled in her ear as he held her still with his hand on her upper arm. “They’ll tear you apart—and enjoy every minute of it. And what good would that do any of us? Believe me, I don’t want to scrape bloody chunks of you off the floor and ceiling. Or get your remains smeared on the bottom of my shoes.”

She curled her lip in distaste at what he described. That was basically the last thing she wanted, too.

Releasing her arm, he nudged her aside so that she’d be hidden by the door before he opened it.

She bit her lip as he left her alone in his room. He was right. What she’d almost done would have been the worst sort of stupid.

Thank the gods, he’d stopped her. But she couldn’t think straight after hearing that news. Seth couldn’t be dead.

Tears choked her as an image of him lying in pieces haunted her.

Why do I care?

She had no idea. And yet there was no denying the pain crushing her chest at the thought of him …

I have to know what happened.

Putting her ear to the door, she tried as hard as she could, but she couldn’t hear anything else outside. No clue about what had happened or what was going on.
Come on … someone tell me something.

Anything.

Time ticked by so slowly that it nauseated her. She was about to go insane before Jaden finally returned. He manifested in the room, right in front of her.

“Well?” she asked hopefully.

He hesitated and her heart stopped beating as she braced herself for the worst. The longer he delayed, the more her pain built until she had no idea how she was able to hold back her sobs.

“He’s not dead,” he said finally.

For that mean pause alone, she could have kicked him as she let out one audible sob at the good news. The relief from those three words was staggering. And for that, she was so grateful, she could almost kiss him.

Seth wasn’t dead.

Oh thank you, gods, thank you!

“Where is he?” she asked Jaden.

He swallowed audibly. “I don’t think you want me to answer that.” The note in his voice returned her terror tenfold.

What could have happened? Did Noir have him caged like they’d done to Solin? Her mind ran wild with horrific possibilities as she remembered all the images and stories Jaden had told her about this place and what went on here.

“Jaden,” she chided. “C’mon. After everything else you’ve told me? I have to know where he is.”

“It’s
that
bad, Lydia. You’re better off staying here for now.”

Her heart pounding, she heard Noir cursing outside the door as he tried to open it. “Jaden! You worthless piece of shit, get out here. Now!”

Jaden vanished.

She pressed her ear to the door again, desperate for any nugget of a detail. She had to know something or she’d go mad.

“You yelled?” Jaden sneered contemptuously in a tone she was surprised didn’t get him backhanded.

“Can you get that bastard dog down?”

“I can try. I’m not sure he’ll be in one piece when I do, though. Hope that’s okay with you?”

Was he serious?

What had they done to Seth now? She covered her mouth with her hand as horror for him consumed her.

“You better succeed, maggot. I need his power. Do you understand? You let him die and you’ll take his place.”

“Good luck with that.”

This time, she heard the blow that sent Jaden slamming into the door that separated them.

“Bring him back alive. I need him.”

She heard Jaden push himself up. “Then why did you send him out there alone?”

She heard the sound of another vicious slap.

“You better remember who you are now, worm. You’re not my equal.”

Jaden’s voice was scarce more than a feral growl. “You’re right, Noir. Free or enslaved, I’ll always be superior to you.”

“You better be glad I need you to fetch my dog. Otherwise you would pay for that.”

“Yeah, fuck you very much, too.”

Something hard struck the door, making her jump. But whether it was Jaden or Noir’s fist, she wasn’t sure.

“Don’t let him get to you, babe.” It was Azura’s voice she heard this time. “We will have the key soon and then no one will stop us.”

“I know I shouldn’t let that smug little prick get to me, but I can’t help it. He was always so arrogant.”

“I know, brother. But let it go. We defeated, defanged, and emasculated Jaden a long time ago. All he can do now is raise your blood pressure … Your pet will be returned to you shortly, and it’ll heal as it always does.”

Lydia grimaced at the way the bitch spoke about Seth like he wasn’t human. Well, okay he wasn’t fully, but he wasn’t an animal or an object, either.

Damn them.

You better be glad I don’t have my powers, puta.
If she did, they’d be having a round right about now.

Azura laughed. “Then we can share another bite of it and we’ll go after Zeus and his crew. Step by step, we will make it to the Malachai and then we’ll be where we should be. Rulers of the world.”

They walked away.

Flicking her nails at that door, Lydia was grateful they were gone before they sensed or discovered her. Or worse, she ripped the door open and did something stupid.

Ugh! One day those two would get their comeuppance. She only hoped she was there to see it happen.

But her relief at their departure didn’t last.

After a few minutes, Jaden returned to his room without Seth. Something that made her panic all over again, especially since he was absolutely coated in blood that didn’t appear to be his. Literally, from his forehead to his shoes. He looked like Carrie minus the painted-on prom dress.

Why wasn’t Seth with him?

“Where is he?” she asked, terrified of the answer.

His face pale, Jaden was actually shaking as he made his way to his table and reached for an opaque, green decanter without answering her or even looking in her direction.

This had to be bad.

And as he poured his drink into a jewel-encrusted gold cup, Lydia frowned at the thickness of the liquid and the color. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear it was blood.

After he knocked back all the contents of his cup, he finally looked at her. “You don’t want to see him right now. Trust me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I have to go to him.” He would be alone with no one to tend his wounds, and that was the last thing he needed.

Jaden crossed the room and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eerie eyes burned her with their intensity, anger, and disgust. “Lydia, listen to me,” he growled between clenched teeth. “They almost cut him in half. Do you understand? I…” he winced as if he couldn’t bear whatever flashed through his mind. When he met her gaze again, she swore she saw tears in his eyes. “Long ago I was one of the most revered warlords ever born, with a lot of field experience of god-war and massacre proportions. I fought and survived battles that would make Quentin Tarantino’s movies look like a 1950s Disney musical, and I’ve never, ever seen anything so gruesome. Do you hear me?”

Those words hit her like blows.

He couldn’t be serious. Surely not …

Her own tears cut warm trails down her cheeks as she imagined what he’d found. What was left of Seth …

Releasing her, Jaden raked a trembling hand through his hair and winced. “It’s … it’s sick what they did to him. I didn’t think anyone could be crueler than Noir. I stand corrected.”

He snarled something in a language she’d never heard before. “I should never have let him go alone. I knew better. It’s my fucking fault. All of this.” He lowered his head and fisted his hands in his hair. “How could I have been so stupid? So selfish? Gah, I’m such a fucking idiot.”